Letters to Sakura
by Valkyriav
Summary: The unsent letters to Sakura written by Rock Lee throughout the years. Follows canon.
1. 1st Letter

Dear Sakura,

You do not know yet know my face or name but the moment I saw your photo on the registry of incoming genin taking the Chunin Exams I was immediately struck by Cupid's arrow. Love at first sight, if you will! At that moment I knew that we were destined to be. Never before had I been so suddenly pulled in by someone's beauty - from your gorgeous cherry blossom hair to your gentle jade eyes, and last but not least, your exquisite forehead that perfectly frames your face together. I imagine your demeanor must be as grand as your beauty!

I also see that you are one year below me. To imagine that somehow I had not seen you in our Academy days! Unfortunately it seems that Iruka-sensei kept grades very separate from one another. While I do regret that we could have met earlier in our lives I cannot dwell on the past especially when there is still a chance to properly meet you in the near future.

I digress. Whenever we meet for that fateful first time I hope you will accept my offer to be my girlfriend. I promise you I will not disappoint. I will protect you with my life and love you until death. That is my eternal promise as Rock Lee, Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast.

I decided to write this letter to you that in the hopes when we begin dating we can look fondly back at this letter (and any others until that fateful time comes) and reminisce the days of our youth of before I become your boyfriend and you, my girlfriend.

I look forward to meeting you. While I am a bit nervous I am sure it will go well. Until then, my cherry blossom.

Love,

Lee


	2. 2nd Letter

Dear Sakura,

It was an honor to finally meet you. While you did reject my offer I promise you I have fully recovered from that heart shattering moment. Now I see that you have higher standards than I initially expected, but that is okay. I now understand that your heart is not won easily, as expected of a woman of your caliber! I will find a way to prove to you that I am the right man to your heart.

I also must apologize for my foolish behavior and I hope it did not reflect too negatively upon me. When I challenged Sasuke Uchiha I was too wrapped up in not only my hot-blooded attempt to prove to myself that I could beat a genius through hard work alone, but in the hopes that I could prove to you my worthiness.

I hope the next time we meet it will be on better terms. I wish you good luck on our first exam (but I am sure you will not need it).

Love,

Lee


	3. 3rd Letter

Dear Sakura,

Congratulations on passing the written portion of the exam! I am proud that all of us leaf genin did so well.

I write this now from the Forest of Death. I sincerely hope that you are doing okay. While I did defeat Sasuke in our bout he seems capable and I am sure Naruto too. I hope they will watch your back.

I have fearfully wondered what would happen if our teams meet and you happened to have the scroll we need. While I would rather just let you go on your way I am sure Neji and Tenten would object and it would result in a battle. If it did, I promise I would not let harm come to you even if you are supposed to be my enemy here. Neji and Tenten might be angry at me for awhile but it is worth it. I did promise to protect you until I die so what kind of man would I be if I broke that promise? Certainly not a man worthy of your love.

I hope we will both come out of this place alive and ready for the next round.

Love,

Lee


	4. 4th Letter

Dear Sakura,

This letter will be longer than my others since I have not had a proper chance to write until now. I am writing this from the hospital. My mind is hazy from painkillers, but thankfully my writing hand is uninjured. Since I have a lot to say I should probably start from the beginning.

I am sorry I was unable to properly protect you in the Forest of Death. I was _so_ thankful that when I came to my team and another had come to the rescue and that you were still alive. I am ashamed. I hope that when I recover I will be both a better man and shinobi so I will not fail you again. It seemed as though fate told me I was still not yet ready for you. For reference, I made myself a challenge before I found you. I was jumping through the trees when I spotted many leaves drifting down to the forest floor. I decided that if I caught all the leaves before they touched the ground you would begin to like me. I unfortunately failed - I missed one - but instead I was able to save the life of an innocent squirrel that someone cruel had put a fire seal on. I hope that there will be another chance for me prove myself and that my failed challenge is not representative of reality, and that a future romance between the two of us is still possible.

Even with my failure I was happy to see that I had still gained something - your respect. (It is a start on my path for love!) I was touched when you told me that I had even inspired you to become a better kunoichi. Honored even! Perhaps there is still a chance for us! The heartwarming smile you gave me was worth the pain and ringing in my ears.

Watching Sasuke's match made me realize that I still have a ways to go. I now know why you have such high standards if I must compete with the likes of a genius like Sasuke. He was able to partially copy one of my moves I had trained weeks to do... and he did it with such skill. I admit I could not help but feel a bit jealous that he was able to steal one of my moves and use it so perfectly. I guess that is the power of the mighty Sharingan. Even if I do not have a bloodline limit like Sasuke I plan to prove to the world that us every day shinobi can still be just as powerful as them through hard work alone.

Then came your match - I was at the edge of my seat! (Of course there were no seats as you know, but I use this phrase as an expression.) Even with your Forest of Death injuries you were a formidable opponent to who I assume to be your eternal rival (I have one too, his name is Neji). You truly did bloom since the last time we met in the forest (as you said), faster than I could have ever expected! Even if the match resulted in a tie and thus a disqualification to the next round I still think you did amazing. I am positive that you will pass the next Chunin Exams without a problem!

Then came my match with Gaara - were you watching me? Were you impressed? When I told you that the lotus blooms twice, that is what I meant. In that match I showed the world (and you) everything that I had. That everything was the type of performance that I should have shown you in the Forest of Death. I hope my match made up for it even if it resulted in a loss for me (Gaara is also a formidable opponent like Ino).

I hope to be back on my feet soon so I can continue training - being stuck in a hospital bed is the last thing I want. First I need my injuries to heal! While the doctors have said that it is serious I am optimistic that as soon as I recover I will be good as new. Then we can both take on the Chunin Exams again and win for sure next time.

Love,

Lee


	5. 5th Letter

Dear Sakura,

Today I got impatient waiting for my body to heal from my match with Gaara, so I snuck out to do some excercises. I might have passed out due to exhaustion or pain, I could not tell. But do not worry, I am perfectly okay! A nurse brought me back in to my room (where I am currently writing this letter from). My body still has a far way to recover, but I remain hopeful! The power of youth flows within me after all!

When I awoke, a found a single daffodil resting on my bedside table. My team did not give me the flower, so I asked the kind nurse taking care of me. She said a pink-haired girl came by and left it for me. When she told me my heart skipped a beat. Could have it been from you, my dear Sakura? I do not know any other pink-haired girls personally, nor have I even spotted many in Konoha with your beautiful shade of cherry blossom pink. So who else but you? Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but a man can dream.

If it was from you, thank you, and I commend the thoughtfulness of your choice of flower. The daffodil represents strength and recovery, after all! I am positive the flower will help me heal much faster than what I would have without it!

Love,

Lee


End file.
